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the League.A Readable Clipping.The Chicago Times thus defends the five men agreement,” and in doing so makes some very strong points. The clipping will bear perusal:THE ‘'ARBITRARY” I.RAGCE.Certain papers in Cincinnati, Boston and Buffalo have been kicking up a great row of late over the way in which the League sees lit to conduct its business. What particularly stirs them up is the agreement entered into at Butlajo last winter, by which nil of :he members undertook to treat as already under poutract ffe plovers in every elub, to be named by the management of that club. This they characterize as outrageous ami unfair to the plavers so named, and called on (he players, if the agree-uieut is reenacted this year, to rise in rebellion, and fortu a league of their own. In giving this advice tliejT are taking communistic ground, reoog-nizing only the rights of the players, and leaving entirely out of account the rights of the clubs.Base-buH 1* a game whose foundation-stone is amutuality of imercsts, and in conducting it allparties must make concessions for the good of the entire body. To illustrate: Base-ball had a beginning as a professional amusement. Suppose that it was in Boston that the first hired ball-toain wad organized. Before that team coiild play a game it would be ncceasary for somebody else to organize a second club. Suppose Cincinnati should respond.games should he arranged by correspondence andthe terms of dividing the receipts agreed on. Alter a few games had been played, suppose Buffa'o should organize n team and ask to come in on the same terms. Naturally, the other two would not object, na- it would have a tendency to add to the receipts, to pay salaries, expenses of travel, Ac. That would bo the drsr league. Suppose that when Boston first visited Buffalo its team should be unable to hit the pitcher of the Bisons, with the consequence of getting badly beaten. Suppose.wb.cn it went on to Cincinnati it should go upon the^, ground and rind this same pitcher in the middle of the diamond prepared to pitch for Cincinnati. Naturali.v, Boston would object. It would bo urged that the agievment was for a game between the Boston and Cincinnati teams—not beiweeu the Boston team and that of Cincinnati plus a portion of the Buff'slo aggregation. If the Cincinnati Club wero honest, it would l-ecognize the justice of this claim and would enter into an agreement for the future not to present in its nine a player from the Buffaloteam. Here, then, would begin the regulation of the player—the sacrificing of Individual advantages for the good of the whole. This is the basio principle of base-ball, as It Is now conducted The League is composed of clubs, and Its welfare as a wbole is paramount to the welfare of any one of Its parts. Therefbre each club must sacrifice what conflicts with the interests of the majority. The interests of the eighty or ninety professional ball players wbo play bail for the clubs hiring them Is ot more importuned than the interest of any one—or any ten—of themApply this priuciplo to the‘‘five-men” agreementboth in its relation to the clubs, which do the hiring, and the players, who do the plaving andthe nav. Annlv it in vi^ir nf + ia
Newspaper Details
Cincinnati Commercial
Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Fri, Sep 03, 1880
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Tom P.
NA, 26 Jul 2022
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